Nanoparticles and nano-scale structures having size characteristics ranging down to the nanometer-range (e.g., having diameter, width or height characteristics that are less than 100 nanometers) have been the focus of a wide range of studies, owing to their interesting physical and chemical properties and broad applications in catalysis, surface science, materials science, medical fields, electronics and others. For instance, nanostructures such as metal clusters, nanotubes, nanowires, circuits and others have been the subject of research and implementation for a variety of applications.
In many applications, nanoparticles are formed for direct implementation with structures, or as a building block for larger structures and/or for the growth of nanostructures. Often, these nanoparticles are desirably formed with controllable sizes down to molecular dimensions. In addition, individual nanoparticles or clusters of nanoparticles are often desirably positioned on supporting structures such as substrates.
Some approaches to the manufacture of nanostructures involve the self-assembly of nanoparticles. Such self-assembly methods have afforded relatively small nanoparticles with packed or connected structures. However, many self-assembly approaches have been limited in application, relative to very small-scale (e.g., sub-20 nm) nanostructures. For instance, photolithography is one approach that has been useful in the manufacture of nano-scale particles, yet is difficult to implement at relatively small scale (e.g., sub-20 nm or sub-10 nm).
The above-mentioned and other factors have presented challenges to the production of nanostructures and to their integration with a variety of applications, such as those involving electronic, structural, medical and other devices.